Behind a compact season, gone are the days when PBA teams would wait for a long lull before playing in between games.
Deputy Commissioner Eric Castro disclosed each ballclub are assured of playing at least three outings a week once the Philippine Cup restarts since games will be played on a daily basis at the Angeles University Foundation gym.
“It will not happen,” said Castro in the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) webcast Forum on Tuesday.
“Araw-araw ang games natin,” he added. “We’re looking at around two to three games per week, and then max na siguro yung four times a week.”
But definitely, no team is going to play on back-to-back schedules.
“We have scheduled games more or less, every other day. So there are no back-to-back games for all the teams,” added Castro in the weekly session presented by San Miguel Corp., Go For Gold, MILO, Amelie Hotel Manila, Braska Restaurant, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), powered by Smart and with Upstream Media as the official webcast partner.
“That’s what we’re trying to avoid. May laro ka ng Monday, so probably you’re next game will be either Wednesday or Thursday.”
Asia’s pioneering pro league’s lone conference on a season when the COVID-19 pandemic struck worldwide, kicks off this Sunday with a doubleheader featuring TNT Tropang Giga against Alaska in the 4 p.m. curtain raiser followed by the main game between Barangay Ginebra and NLEX at 6:45 p.m.
A total of 66 games will be played in the eliminations capped by a rare triple header on Oct. 31 pitting Blackwater against Terrafirma, Meralco opposite TnT, and Rain or Shine versus Phoenix.
The eliminations end by Nov. 11 or about a month since the All-Filipino conference starts.
The next month will be allotted for the playoffs and Finals, with the league looking to finish the season by Dec. 15.
